The 2018 NIT tournament will conclude on Thursday night, as the No. 2 Utah Utes take on the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions. For either team that wins, it’ll be their second NIT title in program history. Penn State won in 2009, and Utah won 71 years ago in 1947.
Utah vs. Penn State 2018: Preview and viewing guide
One team will bring home a trophy.
Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images
How did Penn State reach the NIT final?
The Nittany Lions arrived in the championship by way of beating No. 5 Temple, No. 1 seed Notre Dame by 10 points, No. 2 Marquette, and No. 4 Mississippi State. Aside from an opening-round dud, sophomore guard Tony Carr has been the team’s star. He’s scored 24, 25, and 21 points in the Nittany Lions’ past three games, turning the ball over just six times combined. He’s gotten to the free-throw line 28 times, and sunk 23 of his attempts.
Carr is the guy Utah is going to need to stop to win, though he has support, too. Forward Lamar Stevens has scored in double figures for all four games his team has played in the tournament, including a 30-point outing on 22 shots against Marquette.
How did Utah reach the NIT final?
For Utah, guard Justin Bibbins has run the show all year. In four NIT games, he’s scored 21, 16, 10, and 19 points, and dished 14 assists. In he Utes most recent win, he got to the foul line 12 times and made all 12 attempts. The senior will be tasked with a lot.
The Utes have knocked off No. 7 UC Davis, No. 3 LSU, No. 1 Saint Mary’s, and No. 4 Western Kentucky to reach the championship game. They won’t go down easily.
How to watch the Utah vs. Penn State NIT Championship
Date: March 29
When: 7 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
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